Fab fundraiser JANE reached new fundraising heights at the end of last year when she climbed the height of Mount Everest over the month of December – completing her second fundraising challenge for CHSF!
Jane told us a bit more about her challenge…
“I did a running fundraising challenge for Children’s Heart Surgery Fund a couple of years ago and thought it was about time I did another one.
“As I live in Otley, Leeds I often walk up the Chevin so I thought about what challenge I could do. I came up with climbing the equivalent height of Mount Everest (8,849m) by just walking up the Chevin (…and back down, and up again!)
“December felt the right time to do my challenge as I know it can be a hard time of year for a lot of people, without the added complication of potentially having a child that may have had to go through heart surgery. So, I set the challenge to be completed in the last month of the year.
The Chevin in Otley provided the perfect setting for Jane’s December fundraising challenge – climbing 8,849m, the incline height of Mount Everest.
“I walked every day in December, come rain, wind, snow, frost or shine and tracked my elevation each day using the app, Strava.
“Some days I had friends walk with me which was lovely. I think the best part of the challenge had to be the last day when a bunch of friends, unbeknown to me, had gathered at the top of the Chevin to cheer and congratulate me on finishing the challenge. They brought flasks of hot chocolate, biscuits and had made banners. This was a really lovely surprise!
Jane’s friends surprise her at the top of the Chevin, to celebrate finishing her challenge on 30th December!
“I completed the height of Everest on 30th December and so added a few extra metres on New Year’s Eve. This took the total height climbed to 10,240m with the hope of getting a few more extra sponsors.
“The hardest part of the challenge was getting myself out and up the hill in the torrential rain and howling winds, but all the sponsors that kept coming in pushed me on. I set an initial target of £750 but ended up raising £1,375 for CHSF.
“If you are wanting to do a fundraising challenge, I would suggest doing something you know that, at a push, you can do it. Telling as many people as you can about your challenge also helps bring in more sponsors. I created a few reels on Instagram too which always helped get more donations in.”
CHSF Community & Events Fundraiser Eve said:
“It was just amazing to see the support that Jane got for her challenge – both in moral support and sponsorship. It was brilliant reading updates through the month on Jane’s JustGiving page, seeing who had joined her that day. And what a fantastic finish for so many friends to join her at the end of an incredible challenge!”
Feeling inspired to take on a fundraising challenge of your own for CHSF? Check out our events page or contcat the team to chat through some ideas info@chsf.org.uk 0113 831 4810
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